Shipping Supplies For Your Ebay Auction Business
|
Auction supplies are clearly an expense and major consideration for an eBay auction business. Of course, the most critical supply is the item you are selling, but mailing supplies are necessary for every auction and their cost and supply must be figured into your overhead. If they are not, you might get a nasty surprise when you sit down to figure out your eBay profits at the end of the week.
The most basic supply is, of course, a box. Obviously packing begins with a box ? but not just any old box. A shipping-type box is necessary because if you use a shoe box or some other flimsy box, you can be certain your package will be a disaster! Your customer will be quite peeved when her item arrives in pieces!
You will become a box-fanatic, like the rest of us. When you swoop into a store or home, with joy in your voice, the proprietor will foolishly assume that it is the merchandise you are exclaiming over! We're just like the kids on Christmas day ? dump the toy on the floor and play with the box! In other words, drooling over boxes is an occupational hazard.
Be aware that lots of merchants have boxes that you can have for free. You might become a scavenger at stores like WalMart, Linens & Things or Bed, Bath and Beyond. They have hundreds of boxes every week, and will often give them away to anyone who wants them.
If you are shipping really fragile items, two boxes are safest. The outer box should be a couple of inches larger than the inner one, to allow extra padding.
Padding for your packages: do you always need padding? Well ... yes and no. I have sent a few tough books without padding. But sending grandma's dishes unprotected is a recipe for disaster!
What kind of padding do you use?
* Newspaper is my padding of choice, because it is cheap and readily available. However, be careful because the ink can rub off on some objects and detract from their beauty. Wrap these kinds of items in plastic. Some auction users buy shredders and use the strips of paper as packaging.
* I hate those plastic peanuts, personally, but lots of people swear by them. They are an environmental disaster and the static electricity is terrible. Electronics manufacturers say to never pack computer and other kinds of equipment with peanuts, just because of the electric problem. Electrocuting your customers isn't good business :-)
* The post office recommends popcorn (without butter and salt, of course ? is that to keep us from eating it?) I like popcorn for packing, but you might not want to use it to go on safari because little critters might like it, too.
* Cut up cardboard can be very effective as packing material, but it is mighty tough to chop up.
* Padded envelopes are a popular choice, because they are so simple ? just insert the whatever and mail. But, of course, they aren't cheap. Whenever you receive anything in one of these envelopes, save them! (Are you thinking about all the envelopes you've thrown away?)
* Bubble wrap is the preferred favorite. It cushions objects so well (and it's such fun to pop the bubbles!) Of course, it costs more than the the other materials, so always look for bargains on this valuable product and save every scrap you get.
And (big surprise) the best place to get bubble wrap, as well as other supplies, is on eBay. Today, for instance, I find 700 feet of 12" wrap for $34.50.
By contrast, only 25 feet of 12 bubble wrap at Staples is $4.98 That means that 700 feet at Staples would cost $139.44. Whew ... quite a saving.
Other necessary auction supplies include mailing tape, regular tape, scissors, labels and an easily legible marker.
I wrap everything in plastic bags, just for safety's sake, so you might want some of those handy, too. One of my packages arrived damp and with the corner shredded (wonder where that box had been?) But, since I had wrapped the books and tapes in plastic, they were unharmed and the buyer was so appreciative.
Another precaution you might consider is to include an extra label inside the package, just in case. You don't want your inventory sitting around one of those dead mail offices.
Auction supplies are like everything else in our eBay business that raises overhead: we must use wisdom and judgment so we can keep those expenses at bare minimum.
Sydney Johnston, the AUCTION QUEEN, was one of the original sellers on eBay and has been selling on eBay since the winter of 1996. She is the originator and teacher of the famous Auction Genius Course, a powerful 16 hour multi media seminar on the Internet that teaches her students how to sell on ebay.
|
|
|
Affordable Online Car Auctions
Still hunting for the car of your dreams? Public car auctions online are becoming a happy hunting ground for car aficionados for they bring you a huge selection of affordable cars in various models at unbelievable prices.With online car auctions you can buy a new car at prices, which are quite less than the manufacturer's price in the retail showroom. You can buy a car at price that you can afford. Automobile auctions have car prices which are among the most affordable ...(related: Auctions)
Ebay Listing Service : Make Managing Your Auctions Easy
Do you want to have a lot of auctions going but don't have time to keep track of them all? Trust me, you're not alone. With more and more people making significant portions - if not all - of their income from their eBay auction websites the need has arisen for many people to have someone manage the listing of their auctions for them.
How I Was Nearly Conned On Ebay
I am not sure how many people have had bad experiences on Ebay, I hope not too many. I was having a great time on there until some man tried to defraud me out of £170.I had been buying and selling on Ebay for a number of months without any problems at all. If I ever bought anything that cost over £100, I would offer to meet the seller somewhere, normally just off the motorway and this was working very well. I m...(related: Auctions)
Auction Sales - Keeping Customers You Worked So Hard To Get!
If you've studied business concepts you know that finding a customer can be the most expensive part of the sales process. Once you've got a customer why not maximize the money you've already invested in the effort?This time honored business concept certainly falls under the category of going the extra mile for a customer. Assuming your product, customer service, packaging and shipping all work together to create a positive feedback posting, here are a few simple ideas companies have been utilizing for years to help them stand out from the crowd and maximize the return on sales dollars:? A personalized thank you? A drop in? A thank you giftPersonalized Thank YouEvery package you send to ...(related: Auctions)
Hurricane Katrina Donations Could Be Many Millions More - Ebay Sellers Try In Vain To Help
Yesterday I saw a mention in someone's email ezine about a kind person who had an eBay auction with the proceeds going 100% to help victims of the horrible Hurricane Katrina.It struck a chord with me because I had wanted to set up something similar, but found that the "eBay Giving Works" charity program seems to be terribly flawed for us small sellers. I had researched it the day before, eBay goes through Mission Fish to handle the administrative tasks and distribution.Here in a nutshell is how I understand it works. You set up an eBay auction and pledge a percentage of the proceeds to go to a charity. You pick the one you like. If the auction sells, the buyer pays you, and Mission Fish charges your credit card, taking out $3.00 per transaction for their fees, plus 3% to cover cre...(related: Auctions)
Nine Simple Ebay Selling Hints
Some of these eBay hints will save you money, others will result in higher prices. Either way, these will help you run more profitable eBay auctions.1. Write a simple description and do not clutter your auction with unneeded items like animated Gifs, and colored backgrounds. Remember, you are selling not ente...(related: Auctions)
Ebay And Dropshipping - A Perfect Fit!
eBay and Dropshipping go together like a hand in a glove. As you read this article, right now, thousands of eBayers are running there own auction business. Some of them make little money, and some of them make real huge profits. Why? It is mostly due to the products they choose to sell, the Dropshippers they use and how they promote their eBay Business.If you are new to Internet Marketing, promotion of your new eBay Business is key. Also, staying up to date with all the new and better ways to advertise and promote your business is cruical. Things on the Internet can change almost over night and to keep your eBay Business making money you must keep up with those changes. But don't be discouraged, the ease of using Dropshipperswill allow you...(related: Auctions)
Bananas - Your Source Of Ebay Packing Materials!
This is the most boring stage of the process and subsequently where some eBay sellers let themselves down. If the buyer receives thier purchase poorly packed and broken then they are not going to be happy and will want a refund and more importantly never buy off you again which will have negated all the hard work that you put into the previous stages of your professional auction listing.Packing is not difficult but if you get carried away then it will impact greatly on your profit, all items fall into two categories:Envelope Packages - always use padded envelopes as these will protect your items properlyandBox Packages - always use a sturdy box and ideally wrap the item in bubble wrap<...(related: Auctions)
The Powerful Ebay Bidding Strategy That Claims A 99% Success Rate
Don't you just love it?You've found that special item on eBay that you've just got to have!No If's Ands or Buts, you've got to win that item.You've checked and double checked the "End Of Auction" time and date and you're at your computer, signed in and raring to go at least 30 minut...(related: Auctions)
From Ebay Zero To Power-selling Hero: How To Learn New Tricks Without Spending
The Internet is the fastest-changing marketplace on earth. Million-dollar ideas from one year ago might notgenerate a single penny today. And the best search engineoptimization strategies from months ago may be completelyinvalid now.But this doesn't affect the best Internet entrepreneurs.It only hurts the one-hit wonders. In fact, it is what separates the top sellers from the struggling sellers.Most of the struggling sellers rely entirely on the information they get from ebooks.The best entrepreneurs know that you must be able to conduct your own analysis if you want to stay on the top.Books and courses can help you get there, but ultimately,you must learn how to conduct your own research.Now, you can spend hundreds of ho...(related: Auctions)
Royal Memorabilia ? An Ebay Prince Or Pauper?
There has always been a fascination with royalty and as a niche area for collecting and auction tr...(related: Auctions)
site-map - Copyright © 2007 | Contact Webmaster | All Rights Reserved | Free Articles and Information | Auctions